Carefree kids jump while exploring the tide pools just south of the Ocean Beach Pier.
On Sunday I headed to Ocean Beach, for no particular reason. I like to walk out on the pier.
My visit happened to coincide with low tide, so I took advantage of an opportunity to explore the tide pools near the base of the pier. What did I see? Amazing life. Amazing beauty.
North of the Ocean Beach Pier there is a beautiful, very popular beach. Some rocks are exposed at low tide.Under the Ocean Beach Municipal Pier, which is the second longest pier on the West Coast.Seagulls circle above people who are searching for natural wonders in the intertidal zone.A view of the Ocean Beach Pier and nearby tide pools. An easily accessible place to explore the seashore and make small discoveries.People explore fascinating tide pools near the foot of the OB pier during low tide. The rocks can be very slippery.At low tide, the exposed sandstone rocks south of the pier contain many depressions, the home of algae and small sea creatures.There are many interesting photo opportunities at the tide pools. Down on hands and knees, you’re going to get a little slimy and wet!A complex, natural mosaic in the rock.Hidden channels and eroded surfaces in the irregular, pitted sandstone.Kids stand near the sea wall at the end of one water-sculpted, crevice-like channel.I believe this little guy is a troglodyte chiton. Thousands can be seen in their own tiny sandstone burrows in the intertidal rocks. They can live 20 years in the same spot!Lots of amazing discoveries to be made!One can see pink encrusting coralline algae and surfgrass in this saltwater-filled channel.I can see why this is called sea lettuce! It’s actually a type of green algae.Another view of the tide pools immediately south of the OB pier.Bright green surfgrass, reddish algae and blue ripples of incoming ocean surf make a strangely beautiful photograph.More pink coralline algae and surfgrass at the OB tidepools.A small empty shell among some sea lettuce.An unusual photo at the tide pools. Nature is an infinitely prolific artist.A cool photo composed of accumulated shell pieces.Limpets large and small on one rock form a beautiful pattern.Adventures in progress.Tiny miracles of nature in the soft sandstone.A sample of the surprising beauty you might encounter at these tide pools.A periwinkle, or sea snail.More beautifully patterned limpets, and I think I might see a few barnacles.Right up next to the sea wall. The tide pools continue a good distance to the south.A sea anemone covered with shell fragments, among sand and algae in one tide pool.An aggragating anemone, safely closed up at low tide so that it doesn’t dry out. Many small stones and shell bits have collected upon it.Another watery scene in a life-filled Ocean Beach tide pool.There’s a lot of exploring to do!Looking under the OB pier as I climb up its stairs for an overhead view of the tide pools.Looking down from atop Ocean Beach Pier at the nearby tide pools. People out on the rocks search for wonders in the intertidal zone.
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Rusty old train tracks are overgrown with wild vegetation, including many California bush sunflowers.
I made a cool discovery the other day. A little-known hiking path in San Diego’s South Bay provides a view of a beautiful natural wetland.
According to signs that I saw, the small estuary between Bay Marina Drive, Marina Way, Interstate 5 and the Sweetwater River is a protected wildlife refuge. I believe, after looking at Google Maps, that the water flows from Paradise Creek. But I’m not certain. Perhaps someone reading this knows.
Long-unused train tracks that are partially concealed by vegetation run along the edge of the wetland, and so does a narrow footpath. I didn’t see any signs naming the trail, or any that prohibited a short hike. So I walked down it a bit, enjoying the fresh air and peaceful surroundings.
Information sign near edge of estuary identifies native plants. California Buckwheat, White Sage, Southwestern Spiny Rush, and Black Sage.View of National City wetland from observation area south of the Best Western Marina Gateway hotel parking lot.Beginning down the footpath on a sunny weekend day.Some eroded sandstone adds beauty to the scene.Prickly pear and chaparral yucca above a green estuary.Beyond the sign lies a fragile wetland where native plants and animals are protected. I saw some birds out in the wildlife refuge.I turned about after a short hike and headed on back to the hotel parking lot.
UPDATE!
On a later visit I discovered additional signs beside the hotel parking lot. They contain more interesting information.
I learned this wetland is called Paradise Marsh. It’s an environmentally important tidal salt marsh that’s part of the much larger San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
Water reflects bright sunlight in National City’s Paradise Marsh.Paradise Marsh is a small part of the 2600 acre San Diego Bay National Wildlife RefugeThe birds of Paradise Marsh include the Willet, Mallard, American Avocet and the Great Blue Heron.For hundreds of years, Native American tribes such as the Kumeyaay, Iapi or Tipai made their homes around the estuaries of San Diego Bay.A beautiful tidal salt marsh wetland can be viewed in National City.
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Bright yellow California sunflowers. San Diego has more botanical diversity than any other county in the continental United States.
The San Diego River has always been a source of life. Ancient people flourished on its banks. It’s where European civilization began in California. That civilization today has grown to include freeways, shopping malls, industrial parks and immense residential complexes. Like a gleaming thread of silver, the river flows through it all, eternally, west to the Pacific Ocean.
The health of this once-pristine river, crowded in many areas by human development, is threatened in challenging ways. Pollutants found in storm runoff, windblown litter, piles of garbage and human waste from homeless encampments, encroachment by non-native vegetation… These problems and others require the thoughtful involvement of the local community. Volunteers monitor the river; some help to pick up trash or report graffiti. Active, concerned residents attend special meetings to discuss improvements or make critical decisions.
Would you like to become involved? Click here, or check out my two photos of posters that include contact information.
Our careful stewardship of the San Diego River will ensure the survival of an important riparian ecosystem, and will allow future generations to walk down trails of spirit-nourishing beauty.
Gazing west along the San Diego River from Qualcomm Way.Bicycle and pedestrian paths follow the San Diego River through Mission Valley.Litter carelessly dropped near a mile marker for The San Diego River Trail. It was picked up.The community is working to restore and enhance this area while making an inviting living science center in the heart of our urban riparian environment. (Click image to enlarge.)Make a difference with a fun group of people. Join the River Assessment Team! Help support a clean river and get some exercise! (Click image to enlarge.)A red San Diego Trolley passes over the life-filled river as it approaches the Rio Vista station.A gathering of American coots (or mud hens) where the San Diego River passes beneath Camino del Este.Dark clouds and barren Fremont Cottonwoods minutes before a winter storm brings brief torrential rain.Beautiful flowers can be seen at almost any time of year during a nature walk along The San Diego River Trail.A couple of busy bees collect pollen in the morning.
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Many canoes and kayaks were passing under the Ingraham Street Bridge between South Cove and Perez Cove, not far from SeaWorld.
My long walk yesterday around Mission Bay yielded lots of photos. I started at Vacation Isle, then headed slowly and somewhat aimlessly to the jetty at the end of Hospitality Point. It was a journey through a tranquil San Diego paradise, on a warm winter day.
My photos feature relatively few people. But I can assure you thousands of folks were out enjoying the sunshine. They were fishing, boating, picnicking, reading, walking, playing sports on the grass… Mission Bay is a really big place.
Radio control model sailboats cross the Model Boat Pond on Vacation Isle.These fire pits just north of Dana Landing have wood stacked ready for Saturday night.A casual seat on the dirt with great views.A heron on rocks, and reflections of boats at Dana Landing.Gazing from the West Mission Bay Drive Bridge down descending stairs toward Sunset Point.People return from an excursion out on the Pacific Ocean. The dock at Seaforth Sportfishing is always busy.Visitors walk through Marina Village on Mission Bay.A map by Quivira Basin shows areas off the coast that are protected. Conserving California’s Coastal Treasure.Kicking back with a best friend among boats on the blue water. In the distance you can see the Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa and Marina.Colorful kayaks await at Aqua Adventures.This tropical party shack seems long abandoned. It stands near an entrance to Mission Bay Marina.A dirt nature trail along the channel that connects the ocean and Mission Bay.Rare and Remarkable. This area displays Coastal sand dune vegetation. The native Beach lotus is endangered.Walking along the jetty west of Hospitality Point. This narrow strip of land separates the San Diego River, to the left, from the man-made channel into Mission Bay. One can see a sliver of Ocean Beach, on the left, and Mission Beach, on the right.A fisherman on land, and two on the water. Across the Entrance Channel lies very popular South Mission Beach.Bicycling along. Heading toward the end of the long jetty. It’s a beautiful day. One can see forever.
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I wrote another short story! I penned it yesterday, during my walk along the bay.
It’s a bittersweet, philosophical, tiny piece of fiction. The sort of thing I like to write. There’s some sadness in the sunshine. The title is Light on the Restless and Small.
Native American Kumeyaay from the San Diego area work near the foot of an ewaa, a dome-shaped hut made of sycamore and oak tree branches.
Over two years ago, when Cool San Diego Sights was relatively new, I blogged about some amazing public art near the Santa Fe Depot in downtown San Diego. I provided just a brief glimpse, really.
The artwork, titled The Tracks We Leave Behind, created by Betsy K. Schulz in 2008, is so utterly fantastic, so absorbing, I’ve decided to blog about it once again. Whenever I walk past (which is often), I like to pause an extra few seconds beside my favorite column, which features gorgeous mosaics that depict wild nature and the Native American Kumeyaay people, who have lived around San Diego for about 12,000 years.
Living in this place we set fires to open the land and make the seeds grow. We fish all year, both near shore and deep. We walk to the canyons and the mountains–hunting, gathering food and trading . . .Public art titled The Tracks We Leave Behind, by Betsy K. Schulz, 2008, includes the image of a Kumeyaay hattepaa (coyote) howling.Beautiful handmade mosaic tiles form a Kumeyaay ispa (eagle) in flight.The bald eagle has captured a Kumeyaay hiiwaa (fish).Yellow Sycuan Suncups grace this gorgeous, detailed public artwork in downtown San Diego.The yellow bloom of a prickly pear. This sculpted tile mosaic is so phenomenal, you almost can’t remove your eyes from it!The native Kumeyaay people (also called Kumiai, Ipai-Iipay, Tipai-Tipay, Diegueño, Kamia) have lived in the San Diego region for around 12,000 years.Public art in San Diego depicts Cinon Duro Mataweer, spiritual leader (kuseyaay or tribal shaman) of the Ipai (formerly northern Diegueño) Native American Indian tribe.
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It’s hard to believe, but this photo blog of San Diego now contains over 800 posts, and features a vast universe of wonderful art–not to mention other random cool stuff! Click some links that look interesting if you’d like to explore! Have fun!
Volunteers needed! Volunteer work parties take place from 9am-12pm at the Kendall-Frost Marsh. Please wear long pants and sun or rain protection. Bring your favorite work boots or gloves, or we can provide these to you.
Yesterday I was privileged to watch citizens in San Diego teaming up to improve our environment. During the Love Your Wetlands Day event, a group of concerned people gathered together to help clean and restore the beautiful Kendall-Frost Marsh in Mission Bay.
Do you live in San Diego? Do you enjoy nature and being outdoors? Do you love seeing and protecting wildlife and birds? Do you have a bit of free time? Would you like to personally make a very big difference in this world?
Volunteers are needed to help restore San Diego wetlands! Spread the word! Find out more by contacting the San Diego Audubon Society from this page of their website! Or check out more info by clicking the above photo.
Volunteers help to restore wetlands in Mission Bay. Do you live in Pacific Beach or in greater San Diego? With a little elbow grease, you can actually make a big difference!
Love Your Wetlands Day took place in Pacific Beach at north Mission Bay’s small Kendall-Frost Marsh.
Late this morning I headed up to Pacific Beach to experience Love Your Wetlands Day. The annual event provides a once-a-year opportunity for the public to visit the protected Kendall-Frost Marsh, which lies in the north part of Mission Bay.
I was really impressed by the efforts underway by the San Diego Audubon Society and the UC Natural Reserve System to restore this wetland, and by all the people who showed up for the event. Hopefully my blog will help raise awareness about this very important project.
I definitely learned a lot! Please read the photo captions . . .
The Kendall-Frost Marsh is being restored into a healthy wetland by the San Diego Audubon Society and the UC Natural Reserve System with the help of volunteers.The slough is a prime location for birdlife. Many different birds can be spotted in this protected wildlife refuge, which is usually off-limits to the public.Photos of bird sightings on the surrounding fence.I arrived a bit early to the event, and watched from the nearby street as last-minute preparations took place.A sign welcomes visitors to Love Your Wetlands Day. Lots of activities included bird watching, a water quality testing demo, and a marsh clean-up.People sign in to the event. A few lucky attendees won raffle prizes!The San Diego Audubon Society had a table at the special outdoor event.Information at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Coastal Program exhibit shows the marsh boundaries and restoration efforts.This super cool volunteer at a fun kids activity table gave me the thumbs up!A nearby area where native vegetation is being carefully restored.These plants will eventually be transplanted into the marsh.A look across the marsh southward, toward the greater part of Mission Bay, a large urban recreational park in San Diego.As the event gets underway, many energetic people arrive.Fun nature mural on side of the Kendall-Frost Reserve Trailer in Pacific Beach!Many photos around the exterior of the trailer show insects, flowers, birds and other wildlife that make the marsh their home.A row of waterproof boots awaits volunteers.Putting on some boots before heading out into the muddy, mucky marsh!Tools that are used to remove trash from the environmentally sensitive marshland.A fun art project for kids involved creatively decorating stones!Speaker describes how the ReWild project of the San Diego Audubon Society is working to restore important wetlands in the northeast corner of Mission Bay.A chart at one table shows types of pollutants found on the beaches of San Diego.Water quality tests include monitoring pH, temperature, oxygen content and turbidity.Folks are heading every which way, learning about the marsh and setting about to help restore it!Walking over to collect a water sample. The Kendall-Frost Mission Bay Marsh Reserve habitats include coastal sage scrub, south coastal salt marsh, tidal channels, salt flats and mudflats.Water from a storm drain is collected by volunteers for testing.After putting on boots and grabbing buckets, a gang of volunteers is out in the marsh seeing it up close and removing unwanted debris.Netting is laid down by more volunteers to help prevent erosion during rain. A big storm is coming tomorrow!Love Your Wetlands Day was a great opportunity for the public to help preserve and enhance the Kendall-Frost Marsh!
Sign near the entrance to Visitor Center of Tijuana Estuary, home of a National Wildlife Refuge and National Estuarine Research Reserve.
What place in North America officially contains the most plant and animal species? You don’t know? San Diego and the Northern Baja California region!
Yesterday I took a nature walk around and through the northern section of the Tijuana River Estuary. The large estuary, which is located at the extreme southwest corner of the continental United States, where the Tijuana River empties into the Pacific Ocean, contains abundant life which reflects San Diego’s amazing biodiversity and range of habitats.
The Tijuana Estuary is not only a place of tranquil beauty, but it’s a scientific laboratory, protective refuge, and outdoor classroom where the public can learn about our natural environment. It’s managed by several agencies, including the NOAA National Estuarine Research Reserve System, the California Department of Parks and Recreation, and the National Wildlife Refuge System under the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
I absorbed so much information while walking about, reading signs, and listening to a volunteer guide during a short nature walk near the Visitor Center, that I couldn’t possibly convey it all on my blog. So I’ve selected some photos and have captioned them so you’ll get the gist of what I saw and learned. And hopefully you’ll want to visit, too!
Relatively few people partake of the scheduled weekend nature walks at the Tijuana Estuary Visitor Center. Joan, the plant expert, said that some days nobody shows up. What a shame. Because there’s so much beauty, so much to see.
I strongly encourage anyone who lives in the San Diego area to head down to Imperial Beach and take a long, leisurely walk where life thrives!
Ecoroute Bikeway and sidewalk along Seacoast Drive in Imperial Beach offers views of the north section of 2,500 acre Tijuana River Estuary.A white egret and other small birds enjoy the fertile, nutrient-rich environment created by this important coastal wetland.A shorebird equipped with a long bill, used to poke into sand and mudflats for food. Over 370 species of birds have been sighted in the wildlife reserve.Once a dump, and destined to be a boat marina, local citizens fought to have the Tijuana Estuary protected as a National Wildlife Refuge and National Estuarine Research Reserve.Steps lead down from Imperial Beach Boulevard to one of many trails in the fascinating, life-filled estuary.There are many habitats in the estuary including dune, salt panne, salt marsh, mudflat, brackish pond, riparian, coastal sage scrub, and vernal pool.Sign welcomes visitors to Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge. Five endangered and two threatened species of birds are protected here in their natural habitat.I was told these old wooden pilings used to support a storm drain which ran out to the ocean.A Snowy Egret perches atop a post, perhaps watching the water for prey. Small fish, frogs, reptiles and insects are part of the food chain in a shallow river estuary.The path to the Tijuana Estuary Visitor Center passes through a garden of native plants often found along the coast of Southern California.This colorful abstract map at the Visitor Center entrance represents the 1,735 square mile watershed of the Tijuana River, reaching deep into Mexico.The edge of the map, inside the Visitor Center’s door, shows a part of San Diego and Tijuana. As it nears the Pacific Ocean, the Tijuana River crosses into the United States.One of many educational exhibits inside the cool Visitor Center. Wildlife abounds . . . at Tijuana Estuary!Viewed from the distance of the moon, the astonishing thing about the earth, catching the breath, is that it is alive.Habitats in a changing landscape. All eight habitats in the estuary endure constant change. Water levels rise and fall with the tides. Salinity of the water fluctuates.Visitors can jot notable sighting of birds on a board inside the Visitor Center. Buds and blooms are also listed.A few people out on a nature walk on a pleasant Saturday in November. The estuary is full of blooms, birds, and animal activity, even as winter approaches.Joan, a super nice park volunteer who is a plant expert (and author of a fun native plant book), shows us the yellow bloom of California bush sunflower.Even though the blue blooms of this pleasantly aromatic Cleveland Sage have dried, the seeds pods have a bluish tint.A tiny hummingbird is perched on the branch of a shrub.The Galvezia, or bush snapdragon, is common in Baja California. It has green stems, bright red tube flowers, and attracts hummingbirds.Hiking south down the North McCoy Trail in the Tijuana Estuary. Rising on the left horizon is Mexico. On the right horizon are the Coronado Islands in the Pacific Ocean.Ranger Debbie Good is super friendly. She answered a bunch of questions with a big smile. Here’s she’s putting away a table used to welcome volunteer workers.These volunteer students from SDSU are helping to plant native vegetation. Efforts to return the estuary to a natural state are ongoing. This area several decades ago was a dump.Looking across cordgrass and a beautiful wetland at the extreme southwest corner of the continental United States.A quiet bench on the North McCoy Trail invites walkers to relax and take in the sunshine and surrounding tranquility.Plaque on another bench at the south end of the trail. In memory of Glendon I. Layton. Rest a moment and watch the birds.The Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve and Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge is a place where amazing biodiversity and nature’s beauty thrive.
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I believe all these beautiful images are of orchids! I apologize if I’m mistaken. Most photos were taken just inside the left door to the Botanical Building in Balboa Park.
I believe all these photos are of orchids. Unfortunately, I’m not an expert when it comes to plants or flowers. Heck, I hardly even rank as an amateur. But I do recognize exquisite beauty. And you’ll find it just inside the left door of Balboa Park’s amazing Botanical Building!
I don’t know the types or names of these orchids. I looked for signs, but saw none. If you recognize anything, leave a comment!
Velvet beauty for everyone to enjoy.So much to absorb in the amazing Botanical Building–one’s eyes leap from bloom to bloom.Nature’s masterpieces are often small and fragile.Should you ever visit Balboa Park in San Diego, don’t miss the Botanical Building. The enormous lath building stands behind the reflecting pool near El Prado.White angel-like flower seems to signal that the world is just fine.Many orchids in clay pots hanging from a wall trellis.A long strand of gems.Everywhere you turn in the Botanical Building you’ll discover lush plants and natural wonders.A lady glides into heaven on Earth.
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